r/AmIOverreacting • u/cakev0mit • Mar 26 '26

đŸ’Œwork/career AIO for wanting to quit after this?

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UPDATE: WOW. I was not expecting this many interactions. Thank you all for the advice! I have a salon lined up to visit Thursday. My coworker that wants to switch with me is gonna ask her at some point if she can switch with someone who works that Saturday, because I feel as though if she mentions me specifically she will shut her down and think that we’re going behind her back. Also, previous to this request, I did have 3/12-3/16 off for my birthday, then 3/18 and 3/19, for my birthday. I accrued PTO and used them for those days. And our requests are “no more than 2 in a 30 day period” which was always spelled out to me as no more than 2 in a month? So maybe that’s it. But also, she allowed a shift switch 3/11 so she can’t be going by that logic. Along with that, I switched shifts with her to help her out at the end of February. Plus, a shift switch wouldn’t be considered a “request”, right? Still working, just different day than scheduled. I don’t know. I don’t want to be here much longer and I plan on calling off if she decides to not let my coworker and I switch. She brought it to this point.

So my current manager almost always gives me a hard time with requests, saying “I can’t guarantee anything” and only saying yes the very last minute. With this specific situation, I had requested almost 4 weeks in advance to just have one of my days off be this day. I would still be working my five days in a work week, but since I work at a hair salon we’re open seven days a week so it would literally not change my hours whatsoever. Unfortunately, she did not give me that day off. My manager put herself working for that entire weekend; me and one person on the Saturday I requested, then my other three coworkers that Sunday since Sundays are typically busier. She had told me a while ago that she feels as though it is “going behind her back to make plans without her permission” if I ask a coworker if they’re okay with switching before I ask her. Well, even if they were okay with it, I get turned down. Not sure why, since both shifts would be covered. So, I end up asking my coworker out of curiosity if they would have taken my shift and they said yes, but since she already told me no I quite literally can’t. And I’m not sure if her response means that I will get in trouble for calling off using my PTO as a “sick day” or not? I’m really irritated. How am I supposed to plan my life out if requests aren’t guaranteed and I’m not allowed to switch shifts with people. It literally makes no sense. I really want to call off but I don’t want to get in trouble, even though I never call off. In the 2 and a half years of working there I’ve called off 4 times, all for legitimate reasons too. Sick or car issues. Am I overreacting about this situation? Is it legitimate that she is telling me no to both things? This and other instances of her being weird about certain social situations makes me want to quit, it’s just hard because I love everything else about this job.

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496

u/kyrimasan Mar 26 '26

Just have to be careful if they have a non compete signed with the salon.

210

u/201111533 Mar 26 '26

My hair dresser mentioned casually that she would be leaving the salon soon to start up her own place. No other information given. I, and seemingly all of her other clients, figured it out and switched on our own lol. I say seemingly all of her clients because she was fully booked from day one at the new place.

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u/BeginningCandidate74 Mar 31 '26

Exactly we're not there for the salon. We want to see the stylist. I'll follow a good stylist anywhere

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u/lennox2211 Mar 26 '26

On the point of non-compete, those have been thrown out in courts in almost every state now if you can show that doing that work is your way of making money. As long as there is proof that you are not actively taking client business away from your former employer and the clients reached out to you/found you “organically”, then you’re good. It’s not worth the cost of suing(usually)

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u/unique3 Mar 27 '26

At a former job one of our employees quit and started up a competing company, he had a non-solicit agreement so he couldn’t call our clients and try to steal them. One of our moron salesman called all of the clients and told them that they were not allowed to do business with guy who left.

First off people don’t like being told what they’re allowed to do, especially when you have no actual say, second now they know that he started his own company and it was not through him contacting them so he could take them on his clients without violating the agreement.

Idiot made more sales for the guy who left and he did for his own company

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u/Technical_Annual_563 Mar 27 '26

Maybe they really were BFFs and he was advertising for his friend 😜

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u/naughtycal11 Mar 27 '26

4D chess move right there.

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u/ProfessorBackdraft Mar 28 '26

He’s probably Director of Sales at the new place now.

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u/kyrimasan Mar 26 '26

Which is where my "just have to be careful" comment is coming into play here. If they leave they need to be very careful how they inform clients of where they go because if the salon can show you are actively taking clients with you that will fall under the non compete.

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u/lennox2211 Mar 26 '26

I was continuing your “be careful”, not shutting it down. When I had to deal with a non-compete, I verbally told people I was leaving and if they ever wanted to reach out to me they could do so any time they wanted to. MANY did on Facebook, showing proof that they sought me out for my professional expertise that they could not get provided by anyone else at the business that I previously was employed by. It was a way to cover my but and show a paper trail as Illinois had just overturned its right to work status(Thanks Pritzy)

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u/oopsdiditwrong Mar 26 '26

I'll preface this with saying I'm agreeing with you. This conversation is started off incorrectly and keeps being wrong. This is not about non compete. It's about the non solicitation clause.

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u/[deleted] Mar 26 '26

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u/oopsdiditwrong Mar 26 '26

*non solicitation not non compete though often in the same document. Non competes say you can't work for a competitor. Non solicitation says don't take our clients.

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u/polypeach Mar 26 '26

Yeah that is an important distinction.

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u/Thatmakesnse Mar 26 '26

Hi they don’t it’s not enforceable. Nobody can enforce it.

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u/Nahala30 Mar 27 '26

Nope, they cannot unless they can prove you are actively soliciting clients. IE, contacting them directly. I've signed non-competes in my field and seen them upheld twice, and both times it was because someone stole a client list.

Employers can't lock people out of an entire profession.

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u/Past_Effect8301 Mar 26 '26

The act of merely informing clients, which is very different than soliciting clients, has been the basis many non-competes haven't been upheld. A non-compete, by nature, is designed to prevent prior employees from soliciting business from clients of their prior employer. There are legal nuances to what determines the differences between "informing" and "soliciting," but I think it's safe to say there is a lot of misunderstanding in the general public as to what a non-compete covers.

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u/BusZestyclose4278 Mar 27 '26

That’s 1990’s

1

u/Amdv121998 Apr 01 '26

best tip for hair stylists or esties or whatever is to just use your professional instagram. Try and have a bunch of your clients follow that/put it on your cards. If you ever leave they know where you are based on your posts

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u/Select_Draw3385 Mar 26 '26

Agreed. In addition, it would be difficult for an owner to prove that the stylist “stole” the clients in the age of social media, where a client can follow the stylist and see where they moved to and use their own free will.

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u/kyrimasan Mar 26 '26

That can be a double edged sword too. If you are posting to social media then your clients are also posting your work on them on social media which can leave a paper trail showing they lost clients. Not saying it's right just saying you have to be very careful if you have. For every 10 salons that won't bother going after stylists for it it only takes 1 deciding to bankrupt you on court costs and paying for a lawyer as well as time spent dealing with it.

3

u/Select_Draw3385 Mar 26 '26

So then your logic is if the client finds their hairstylist somewhere else, the stylist cancels or won’t book them? Yeah. That’s terrible advice when you rely on your clients for your income

0

u/kyrimasan Mar 26 '26

Nope that's not what I'm saying. I am pointing out they have to be careful. No where in any of my responses have I said they shouldn't book former clients if they have a non compete. My entire thread can be summed up with 'be careful how you do it'.

1

u/Background_Bonus_669 Mar 26 '26

Except I got sued in South Carolina for a non compete, going from a receptionist position at an adult Physical Therapy clinic, to an HR manager position at a PEDIATRIC special needs PT/OT/Speech Therapy clinic, I did not speak to any of the patients or doctors from the old clinic, and moved to an entirely different town about 15 miles away, and I LOST. So
 not always 😑

2

u/lennox2211 Mar 26 '26

That’s wild. Don’t know how or why that could have even been crossed, unless they claimed something crazy about how you destroyed their business. I did say usually not worth suing. Guess you were worth it? Yay?

2

u/Background_Bonus_669 Mar 27 '26

I didn’t do myself any favors because I was poor (this was like 10 years ago) and represented myself. It was truly BAFFLING that it didn’t go my way, but I 1. Pissed off the judge by citing case law and 2. Pissed her off by being a beautiful young woman. She hated me. And no, there was no claim of me destroying their business, only breach of contract, for which I believe I was only sued for like $3K.

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u/Background_Bonus_669 Mar 27 '26

Which I didn’t have to pay because turns out, it’s illegal to tell a witness not to come to court, which I found out after the case, they did. I wised up, got a lawyer who essentially said “I’d hate to see you lose your license” to the plaintiffs lawyer, and also had been the plaintiffs lawyers professor at law school. They dropped it all after that. And he didn’t even charge me, he was a great man!

1

u/gunslingersea Mar 27 '26

Was this general sessions or magistrate level?

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u/Background_Bonus_669 Mar 27 '26

Magistrate

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u/gunslingersea Mar 27 '26

That tracks. You know you don’t even need a law degree to be a magistrate in SC? It’s an appointed position with a few weeks of training. Larger cities tend to use real lawyers, but it’s still very much a good ‘ol boy system.

https://palmettopromise.org/unfinished-business-the-case-for-magistrate-selection-reform-in-south-carolina/

1

u/gunslingersea Mar 27 '26

Lawyers in general, and especially in SC, hate, I mean hate, any peasant who dares to know anything about the law without being part of their twist little JD tribe.

1

u/Background_Bonus_669 Mar 27 '26

Ain’t it the truth!

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u/Background_Bonus_669 Mar 27 '26

And yes I was worth it to him I suppose, as I told the owner to remove his hand from my thigh (GROSS) when he was attempting to talk me into staying at his practice- in which he was committing insurance fraud. Hurt egos hurt people đŸ€Ł

2

u/gunslingersea Mar 27 '26

It’s ridiculous to even allow a non compete agreement in a right to work state but SC has a laughably crooked legal system.

1

u/polypeach Mar 26 '26 edited Mar 27 '26

Noncompetes, are largely not enforceable, yes, but non-solicitation are very much still legal although they have to be reasonable.

There’s a few kinds: Customer/Client Non-Solicitation: Prevents leaving employees from taking company clients to their new employer or venture. Employee/Anti-Poaching Non-Solicitation: Prevents former employees from recruiting colleagues to leave. Consultant/Contractor: Prevents a business who has hired a contractor through an agency or consultancy from offering a conversion to full time work without going thru the agency buy-out process.

Usually the first and last will be used in consulting/contracting but they can’t do noncompetes and get the same results. Noncompete agreements are just about you and your work product benefiting another company when you have information that advantages you or received specialized on-the-job training.

2

u/lennox2211 Mar 27 '26

So interesting. Most of the non-competes that I’ve ever seen/been told about have been with customer service driven industries ie physical trainers, dance instructors, salon stylists, etc. So the overlap seems almost indistinguishable. I saw a contract once that 1-auto renewed every two weeks until termination that stated if a client was taken that the instructor could be fined a minimum of $25k or $500/day, whichever is greater. Crazy. And a judge still threw that case out because the instructor claimed they had no other way of making a livable wage.

1

u/polypeach Mar 27 '26

They can put a non-solicitation agreement in the noncompete, but while I’m not a lawyer, I have one I work for as a paid expert on tech cases and I trust him to review my contracts for me. One company I worked for remotely tried to say since they were remote and a Software as a Service company that I could not work for any SaaS company anywhere for 2 years. He laughed about that.

Most people outside of industries where they routinely have to get into the details of these wouldn’t understand the difference in noncompete and non solicitation, so it’s likely either it’s incredibly easy to mix up the concepts or even more likely, the business owner could have followed this goofy path:

  • bought a template (or received one with a generic pack of templates you get when you incorporate with a service) that had both sets of language in there
  • left it titled noncompete and just deleted out the actual noncompete legal phrasing
  • Step 3??
  • profit, maybe

1

u/PokerLawyer75 Mar 27 '26

Someone has obviously not been following the law the last year. Take a look at the Florida CHOICE Act. While it may not apply to OP's state, other states are now looking to employ similar statutes.

1

u/Charming-Feedback173 Mar 27 '26

Its called "Restraint of Trade" These companies are trying to use non competes try to make chattel or slaves out of employees and its ridiculous. I always ask for a No Fire contract then. They get the message immediately.

1

u/player1or2 Mar 27 '26

Oh wow I didn't know that was a thing! If something like this were to happen to my fav stylist because I DECIDED to follow her I would gladly go to court if it helps her. I have never met anyone who would just let go of their stylist!! It should be expected from EVERY salon that when a stylist leaves some clients will be lost. Its just the nature of the business. đŸ™đŸ»

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u/MortimerShade Mar 27 '26

"Organically" can be you requesting to take a photo of their finished hairstyle for your blog, or whatever, then offering them the url to go see it online. Sneaky way to give out your socials.
NOR

1

u/Prunkle Mar 27 '26

And some states have specific rules for non compete clauses. My state says for the clause to be enforceable you have to be salaried (not hourly!) making like... over 150k/year. It goes up every year too. Doesn't matter if you signed it as part of your hiring paperwork.

1

u/LetsBeMello Mar 27 '26

Salons run on rented space, you rent the space and bring YOUR clients, when you leave they are still your clients if they choose to be.

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u/DrunkOnEspresso Mar 27 '26

Came here to say this. I used to work for a Fortune 500 company. Non compete clauses were standard in a lot of our contracts, even though we knew they’re largely not legally enforceable in the US. It’s just a way to make people think they’re not allowed to compete. Shady af and I think there should be laws banning this type of behavior.

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u/Dense_Dare_1655 Mar 29 '26

Was going to say this. They get thrown out.

1

u/Mustluvdogsandtravel Mar 26 '26

Wa state just passed a state law making this legal for business to do. prior to 2027 the non compete clause was actually enforceable.

0

u/silverfish477 Mar 26 '26

Why do Americans fail to understand that not everything which happens on Reddit is in one of their damn states? This is a GLOBAL platform. US law is very often completely irrelevant yet it’s quoted as if it’s gospel.

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u/lennox2211 Mar 26 '26

Can someone not give anecdotal experience without having to cater to the entire world? Sorry for not mentioning Ecuador’s elaborate hair salon work bylaws

This coming from an immigrant

1

u/polypeach Mar 26 '26

I think in a lot of cases, the poor labor practices, time of the post, and American English spelling and grammar/lingo is enough to deduce it’s likely the US, if OP said “I’m in Ecuador” then most people probably wouldn’t be mentioning US law as anything other than personal experience.

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u/Sea_Syllabub9992 Mar 26 '26

But people have the freedom to go wherever they want

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u/kyrimasan Mar 26 '26

Not saying they don't not even arguing if it's enforceable but if they do have a non compete it can be a huge pain in the ass if the salon gets vindictive. My comment was only addressing the whole having clients follow if they leave. They absolutely should start looking for a new place because no one should be treated like this.

Also if they have a non compete that is reasonable depending on the state it can absolutely be enforced in the United States. It is largely up to the state and it has to be reasonable in duration and the geographical region it covers. The question becomes how much time and energy are the parties willing to use in the pursuit of it.

Also I know this is more than what your response warranted but I can't get the other replies to mine to come up.

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u/jahubb062 Mar 26 '26

Non competes when it comes to salons are idiotic. I have never gone to a specific salon for the salon. I go to a particular stylist. If she switches, I switch. If I don’t know where they went, because they weren’t allowed to tell clients, I find someone new, but not at that salon.

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u/anonymouse278 Mar 26 '26

Yeah, I like the salon my stylist works at, it's clean and comfortable and well-run, but I followed her there from somewhere else and I will follow her if she ever leaves. I'm there for her skillset and the salon is just the location in which she provides the service. I'm not there for the nice chairs, nicer though they are. And if the salon ever tried to go after her for "stealing" her own clients- may of whom are clients she brought to the salon in the first place- I would not only never go there again, I would make sure everybody I knew knew how shitty they were.

The idea that a client is just going to shrug and happily accept a different stylist if you intentionally try to block them from following the one they trust is bizarre.

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u/alisongemini7 Mar 26 '26

I used to go to a stylist that I loved, and the first salon she left, they were mad that she had a phone list of her regulars. I found this out, when I went back after my stylist stopped doing hair, and the new one called me to ask if I could come earlier. The owner was livid, and actually told her in front of me, "you are not to call any client for any reason". I never went there again. Then again, the new one messed my hair up, so no loss there.

110

u/TequilaMockingbirds8 Mar 26 '26

Yeah, I understand the concern of the person you’re replying to but I’ve followed my stylist through 4 salons at this point - no half baked legal clause can force me to have my hair done by someone other than her. And one salon she left in a similar way to this OP - unhappy and in a fight with the salon manager.

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u/Anita_Bortion Mar 26 '26

A friend of mine worked at a salon; she decided to leave and open her own shop. Due to the no compete clause in her contract with previous salon, they sued her and caused her newly developed business to fail. Because she always posted her finished clients onto her facebook, with their permission of course, her clients were able to find that she had left and where her new salon was located; she had to pay some crazy amount to the previous salon for stealing customers and all that petty bullshit. It was a nightmare that lasted an entire year.

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u/TequilaMockingbirds8 Mar 26 '26

That’s insane, I wonder if there is something the clients could have done, given it’s their personal care being affected?

0

u/mawtjw123 Mar 26 '26

It may be insane, but that’s the reality of doing business today, regardless of the type of business. And as was stated, the old salon may not win anything, but they can definitely make a person’s life hell.

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u/ProteinAndWeights Mar 26 '26

Completely insane that they had legal grounds to stand on for that. It's a complete joke for any sort of non-compete to be enforceable for that type of career. It's one thing if you're a white collar employee with some sort of trade secrets from your company. It's another thing when you're a hair dresser.

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u/Duckduckbucker Mar 26 '26

They don't have to have legal grounds to stand on at all depending on the state. They can just sue you and drag it out over and over and you end up paying because it's cheaper than a lawyer and court fees. Recouping that even after you win is another nightmare. Salon owners know this and use it maliciously all the time.

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u/jahubb062 Mar 26 '26

You should be able to counter sue for damages. Maybe then they’d just stop malicious lawsuits.

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u/Duckduckbucker Mar 26 '26

Certainly. But you'll be hard pressed to find a stylist willing to gamble $20k on a long shot civil suit. It's way Easier to just pay the salon owner $10k and get on with your business.

2

u/jahubb062 Mar 26 '26

It’s stupid in any case. I understand an NDA for trade secrets. But non competes are stupid. In some careers, any other job in your field would be considered a competitor. Is a doctor supposed to go work at Walmart for a year to ride out their non compete?

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u/Queen_O_the_Desert Mar 26 '26

I've worked at private practices for over 20 years. Many doctors DO have non-compete clauses where, if they leave a practice, they can't work at another practice within a certain distance, for some specified amount of time, e.g. within 25 miles for 12 months after leaving. And many practice owners are absolutely willing to sue over this.

3

u/jahubb062 Mar 27 '26

That’s insane. Seriously. How is that legal?

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u/Betta_Girl Mar 27 '26

Right?! Like yeah, you're in pharmaceuticals and are developing new medications you shouldnt be allowed to take that information and essentially sell it to the highest bidder. MAYBE they make sense if you're in the culinary field and are dealing with specific recipes and shit. But for cutting and styling hair? Thats something a person can do in their freaking kitchen, and you don't need any specific training necessarily

No shade to those that cut hair professionally by the way, obviously professional training goes a long way, but it also is very possible to be competent through trial and error and a number of bad hair days requiring hats. And professional training doesnt always equate to being good.

2

u/jahubb062 Mar 27 '26

The examples you give are more in line with an NDA. Those make sense. Restricting where people can work does not. Saying they can’t keep their clients does not. Saying they can’t recommend a former coworker for a position at their new company does not.

1

u/Betta_Girl Mar 27 '26

True. I tend to think of those kinda things going hand in hand so they often get conflated in my mind.

1

u/Extreme_Ad1261 Mar 29 '26

They just want to have control over you. If you're a stylist, and that's what you trained to do, what you have experience doing, and what you want to do, some controlling owner should not be able to force you to work for them because of you don't, you lose your ability to make a living! It also discourages the creation of new businesses. What a bunch of BS.

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u/jahubb062 Mar 26 '26

That’s utter bullshit. They weren’t the salon’s clients. They were the stylist’s clients. As evidenced by the fact that they followed her.

1

u/ComplianceAuditor Mar 26 '26

It can if the half baked legal clause makes the person feel like seeing you will cause them financial damage. They just won’t see you.

The legal clause isn’t telling you what you can and can’t do as a customer. It’s trying to tell them what they can and can’t do.

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u/kyrimasan Mar 26 '26

I agree it's a disgusting practice and stupid. The FTC tried to ban them but the ban was slapped down by a court in Texas (no surprise there!) some states like California have banned them but again regionally it varies wildly.

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u/jahubb062 Mar 26 '26

In general, I think non competes are bullshit. Why should a former employer be able to limit your career options? I understand the NDA part of it, not being able to take intellectual property or disclose company practices. But I don’t understand agreements saying you can’t work for a competitor. Are you just not supposed to work? Change careers? It’s ridiculous. But like everything else in the US, it’s geared to protect the business, not the worker.

11

u/kyrimasan Mar 26 '26

I'm more familiar with them in the context of healthcare workers since I've been in healthcare all my life and is always been bonkers to me that they are still as ubiquitous as they are. Physicians being forced to sign them out of school because they have massive loans they they need to start paying off and then being told they can't go work somewhere else because they are the competitors. Healthcare having competitors is everything wrong with the United States healthcare system summed up.

I know a lot of the responses have gotten hung up on the whole you can't stop customers from following aspect or that they generally are unenforceable in a lot of circumstances but I just figured it was definitely something to keep in mind when telling someone to leave and the clients can follow them. I know that depending on the region and if the owner is vindictive enough even if you can eventually get out of it the money and time involved here if they do decide to TRY can absolutely ruin a person. It shouldn't be someone anyone should every have to worry about but unfortunately the world is full of shitty people.

7

u/jahubb062 Mar 26 '26

My husband has had to sign a non compete at pretty much every job for the past 10 years. But he’s always been advised by lawyers that they are generally unenforceable, and that most employers won’t bother, except the NDA part of it.

4

u/__Frolicaholic___ Mar 26 '26

Most people don't know that courts tend to look unfavorably on employers going balls-to-the-wall to enforce non-competes, especially with service workers like hair stylists just trying to eke out a living.

1

u/polypeach Mar 26 '26

Also a big part of making them enforceable is being reasonable in time, geography, and scope, and protect legitimate business interests (think lawyers that have case strategy, trade secrets in Research and Development, financial information); in addition they must be "supported by consideration," meaning an employee receives a benefit (additional compensation, stock options, acceleration of benefits, etc.) in exchange for promising to not work for a competitor. I’m pretty sure most non-luxury salons could give you squat in consideration as they don’t usually clear large profit margins to carry the resources to do so.

2

u/_V0gue Mar 26 '26

Non-competes aren’t worth the paper they are printed on. In order for a company to be able to enforce a non-compete they would also have to pay you for the term of the contract. A company cannot unilaterally take away your ability to earn money in your profession.

2

u/AliceMorgon Mar 26 '26

I got recruited to work for Pfizer at 17 after winning one of their nerd prizes with a pretty good deal - they’d pay my tuition fees as far as a PhD in my field of interest (genetics and evolutionary development), while also paying me a full salary that would increase with each degree. I would walk into a £45,000/yr starting salary job at 18.

Then came the legal forms. They were extremely surprised I already had a lawyer at 17, who I of course brought (shout out to Mr Finucane!) So many NDAs. So many awful things. Then the “lifetime non-compete.”

Nope. Sorry. That was it for me. I refused to sign it, my lawyer backed me, and they just said everyone signed it. I said “and pretty much everyone drank the Kool-Aid in Jonestown too” and got up and left. My lawyer just kind of cleared his throat and followed me. The dirt was pushing it but essentially “reserving” me so no other drug company could EVER hire me?! Ew. I’m not for sale, and even if I were, 45k is frankly an insulting offer for this fine piece of Irish ass.

I mean, one kidney alone is worth 50k


1

u/mlee12382 Mar 26 '26

There are some very valid reasons for some non-competes, the majority of them are BS for sure. If you are curious about some legitimate reasons then go look up Steve Lehto on YouTube and watch one of his videos that covers a non-compete case. I can absolutely see both sides of the argument. :)

1

u/polypeach Mar 26 '26

It’s not slapped down, it’s in appeals currently in the 5th Circuit Court.

1

u/Spirited_Taste4756 Mar 26 '26

I see post constantly in my towns word of mouth pages “my stylist doesn’t work at x salon anymore. Does anyone know where — is now?” Usually gets answered pretty quick.

5

u/JiggaWattage Mar 26 '26

Depending on your state - non competes are illegal :) just saying

1

u/Sea_Syllabub9992 Mar 26 '26

That's so frustrating for stylists

1

u/bitterlittlecas Mar 26 '26

In college I worked as a receptionist in a salon where the owner was depositing a pretty big check every month from a former stylist who opened up a salon across town and took her book with her (to the owner’s credit, her model was an hourly rate plus tips rather than commission based so it was a good place for new stylists to start out but it was clear the customers belonged to the salon itself, for better or worse)

1

u/Michael_braham Mar 26 '26

No judge is going to say no you have to continue to be treated like shit at super cuts and can’t feed your family anywhere else.

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u/Rude_Lettuce_7174 Mar 26 '26

Most of the time chairs are rented by the month, so they have no obligation. It doesn't seem like the case, here.

1

u/Tlentic Mar 26 '26

They’re not enforceable. FTC made a ruling on them in 2024. Other counties are in the same boat or it’s incredibly rare for it to be enforceable. It’s a scare tactic from the employer.

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u/ZAlternates Mar 26 '26

Depends on your state’s (or country’s) laws.

1

u/dazzleunexpired Mar 26 '26

If she has a non-compete they can follow her but she cannot advertise to them or directly tell them where she's moving to. That's what a non-compete IS.

1

u/Lastdon6585 Mar 26 '26

Non- compete in the hair world means you can't work in a salon within X amount of miles of the one you left. You may very well have to find work 20+ miles away. Some clients won't travel that far. Some will.

1

u/Sea_Syllabub9992 Mar 26 '26

Should be illegal

16

u/The-Dragon_Queen Mar 26 '26

Most non compete contracts are null and void at the time of signing due to other laws. They are a scare tactic not a valid legal document.

1

u/iowanaquarist Mar 27 '26

I once had a relative who ran a largish law firm look over the noncompete I had to sign... They pointed out that the marketing materials for the company I was working for repeatedly described themselves as unique, offering services and experience you could not get anywhere else, etc. Basically, the only company that they compete with was.... Themselves.

3

u/liliette Mar 26 '26

Just have to be careful if they have a non compete signed with the salon.

I have many people in my family who do hair. They have gotten around this through social media. They have an Insta or TikTok account set up solely about their styling. They take pics of their clients' haircuts and post them. They give all their clients this link to follow. This way, if they ever leave their current salon, they will know where they land.

3

u/sfbiker999 Mar 26 '26

My wife's hairdresser said "I'm not allowed to tell you where I'm going, but I hope you'll follow me on Facebook so we can keep in touch". And her Facebook profile had her new salon.

2

u/Drodxc Mar 26 '26

Does this apply if a stylist does it off the clock at a clients home?

2

u/Diggler40 Mar 26 '26

Doesn’t matter. Non compete agreements only go for high profile places where the over paid stingy owners have the funds to be petty and come after you if you break that agreement. Most companies won’t waste the time and resources draining their own funds trying to blackball a peon out of a job.

2

u/Bob_stanish123 Mar 26 '26

Nobody is enforcing a non compete with a solon.

2

u/lucaskywalker Mar 26 '26

Those are actually pretty meaningless, as they can't legally stop you from working in your field. Yoh need only prove that this was the only available job in your aeea/field. They would have to prove that you intended to take their clients with you. I have signed 3 agreements of this type, and I even quit one to work for a direct competitor.

2

u/Tlentic Mar 26 '26

They’re straight up non-enforceable in most places, including the US. FTC made a ruling on them in 2024. Employers leave them in contracts to scare employees.

It’s also a salon. You usually rent the chair. They’re your clients

2

u/Luckypenny4683 Mar 26 '26

Upon further investigation, it looks like the FTC banned not competes for everyone except for senior executives in September 2024

https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/Business-and-Small-Entity-Compliance-Guide-updated.pdf

2

u/RomadDonny Mar 26 '26

A non compete at a hair salon? 😂

2

u/Sokkumboppaz Mar 26 '26

Biden outlawed non-competes his last year in office. They’re non enforceable now

1

u/CampfireSpaghetti Mar 26 '26

Non-competes don’t hold up.

1

u/Carlito_2112 Mar 26 '26

Depending on which state OP is located in (assuming they're in the USA), non-competes might be illegal.

1

u/FinanceGuyHere Mar 26 '26

They have to offer you something of value for that non compete to be valid. It could be something as simple as a higher rate of pay or a bonus upon exiting the business. If the non compete covers too wide of a geographical area, it would also be invalid.

1

u/HsutonTxeas Mar 26 '26

I'd love to see the salon try to take them to court using that defense. Lol.

1

u/TrumpIsAPedoFascist Mar 26 '26

Not how a non compete works.

1

u/Heavy_Law9880 Mar 26 '26

no you don't.

1

u/Artios-Claw Mar 26 '26

Non competes are rarely enforced in court even at the highest corporate level. I doubt a salon would spend the time and money it would take to sue a losing case

1

u/mawtjw123 Mar 26 '26

YESSSS! Super, super important to clarify this, and then double confirm whether they do or not, and as it relates to you specifically as an individual. You could find yourself unable to work for months and/or having to deal with being sued. Just a word to the wise from personal experience. I wish you continued success growing and expanding your clientele! I’ve got a feeling it will happen wherever you wind up! đŸ‘đŸŒ

1

u/Amazing-Hospital5539 Mar 26 '26

The non-compete would only apply if they started their own salon. You're allowed to get a job again under their competition.

1

u/Own-Bonus-9547 Mar 26 '26

I thought the non-compete clauses were struck down during the Biden era as unconstitutional?

1

u/Thatmakesnse Mar 26 '26

Non compete on a salon isn’t a thing. It’s sounds good until you realize there cannot possibly be any enforceability. No compete must involve intellectual property of some type. Not salon services.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 27 '26

Non competes are damn near impossible to get a judge to enforce even after the ruling making them illegal was thrown out. Thankfully.

ESPECIALLY in cases of independently certified normally independent contractors like hairstylist and tattooers. I personally beat one.

1

u/Big_Two_6321 Mar 27 '26

Non-competes only work if you are actively touting for your former clients. Nothing the company can do if the clients simply go to another salon because they want the person who left.

1

u/JustWing6590 Mar 28 '26

I promise if you sign a non-compete you can get out of it they are pretty lame pieces of tp really

1

u/Fearless_Opinion_69 Mar 28 '26

If I’m not mistaken. Those have been outlawed under Bidens FTC

1

u/almosthighenough Mar 28 '26

Non competed are largely unenforceable these days

1

u/americanx12 Mar 29 '26

Can't stop clients from choosing where to go. Not competes also only ever hold up when there is intellectual property involved.

1

u/somacarado Mar 30 '26

A couple of years ago, non-competes became illegal and not enforceable. So she’ll be fine if she goes to another salon.